I also told them I’d heard that Gerry Hunsicker, Senior VP of baseball Operations for the Tampa Bay Rays had been contacted about the job. They’d heard the same thing…Hunsicker, formerly the GM of the Houston Astros, has been given a lot of credit for the Rays’ rapid transformation from tailender to contender. He’s largely responsible for establishing Tampa Bay’s presence in the international market…There’s no question that Hunsicker’s a sharp executive, but I’ve also heard that he’s occasionally a handful to work with…Haven’t the Nationals already experienced that in a GM?

Mike Rizzo is currently the Nationals’ “acting” GM.

This is not the first time we have heard Hunsicker’s name associated with other jobs. Last winter it was the Rangers that were said to have interest. Hunsicker, who is “Teller” to Andrew Friedman’s “Penn” (or “Silent Bob” to Friedman’s “Jay” for the younger crowd), is the quiet partner, but by all accounts just as responsible for the product seen on the FieldTurf.